Reaching out

The Spring/Summer 2008 issue of 3i’s Intouch magazine covers a wide range of issues: the role of private investors in infrastructure development, the resilience of mid-market deal structures, and demand for engineering components in the developing markets. Also within is an interview with the chairman of lingerie company Agent Provocateur, which 3i acquired last year, and an analysis of the Nordic private equity market.
3i created the magazine back in 2006. A semi-annual publication, the firm has now put out four issues.
Intouch’s original purpose was to update 3i’s entire universe of contacts on changes going on in the firm after the arrival of new chief executive Philip Yea, and the adoption of a new strategy of internationalization, says marketing director Martin Cardoe.
The magazine has since evolved to become a more “thought provoking, opinion focused magazine,” Cardoe says. It’s no longer just a news bulletin of 3i’s deals and doings: in addition to information on 3i’s portfolio companies and profiles of their leadership, it contains market analyses and interviews with outside experts in various sectors.
“What we’re really trying to do is highlight the types of people we work with internationally, why we work well together, and address and highlight some of the issues that are likely to challenge people running businesses going forward,” he says.
Intouch goes out to about 12,000 to 15,000 people, including key contacts at portfolio companies, government advisors, members of the firm’s business leaders network and members of the financial investment community. It is the most inclusive of the firm’s communications, reaching out to a broader audience than the firm’s annual reports or regionally and sector focused marketing efforts.
Internal editor John Scott, the creator and primary editor of the magazine, works with Cardoe to formulate the content of the magazine, and a team of freelance copywriters who have worked with 3i for years conduct interviews and write the articles. A team of designers also work to make the magazine appealing, intuitively easy to navigate, and engaging.
“We want people to pick the magazine up, stop, and be taken by a particular article that strikes their interest,” Cardoe says.